A compactor is a type of self-propelled work machine used at construction sites to compact fill dirt and at landfills to crush and compact waste and refuse materials. In landfill applications, the compaction of such materials reduces the size and bulk of the materials, which are then covered by a layer of soil. Compactors have wheels with large steel drums or rollers. The cylindrical exterior surfaces of such drums are commonly ringed with a large number of teeth to increase the compaction and crushing capability of the compactor. As such teeth are subject to wear, it is desirable to construct such teeth with replaceable tips or wear members, which are detachable mounted to an adapter or mounting block that is welded to the compactor wheel drum. In the past, steel pins and other types of retaining devices have been employed to detachably secure the tips to the mounting blocks. Statutory Invention Registration No. H946 for Tip And Adaptor Assembly, published Aug. 6, 1991 to Alan H. Lonn, discloses a replaceable tip that is pinned to an adapter by the insertion of a pin through aligned apertures in both components. Such pins, however, have been subject to frequent breakage due to loads being exerted on the retaining pin during operation of the compactor. Such pin breakage results in the loss of the tip and damage to the adapter.
It is therefore desirable to provide a compactor tooth that is not subject to failure of the retainer and to provide an improved compactor tooth that overcomes one or more of the problems associated with the above.